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Current 2L Biglaw SA. Firm has lit and transactional in my office, but they are more lit focused. I'm wanting transactional. What's the best strategy if I end up getting an offer for lit? I know people do 3L OCI, but without an offer in hand, that seems pretty hopeless. By the time of the offer, it may be too late to get in my materials and bid list, etc. (is that a thing for 3Ls?). I shouldn't MM without an offer in hand, right? Thanks!

Also interested, but exact reverse- want lit and may be forced into transactional. Also, we wont get offers until the fall it seems (after the recruiting committee meets with the practice group leaders and they place us)... what is the best way to move forward? I feel like I need to mass mail, but I don't know the play moving forward.

Edit: also, my school's OCI is the same time I will still be working at my firm. So I couldnt do 3L oci even if I wanted. Mid T13, median.

This happened to me. I didn't do 3L OCI (it is a joke at my school, I don't think any 3Ls get offers from it) but mass mailing is fine because not all firms who need 3Ls are even going to attend OCI. Wait until you have an offer in hand - you don't need to accept it, they give you a window that you need to accept by (I can't remember but I think ours was like a month or two). Then mass mail. Firms won't know what their 3L needs are until around August anyway because some of their summers might not accept. So they have to wait to see what their class looks like before they start looking for 3Ls. I'm not sure what I would do if you don't get an offer until Fall, that is a really tricky situation.

Try to make it known what you want, get to know the attorneys in that practice group so that they want to pick you to join them and, worst case, suck it up for a year and then change practice groups at your firm or lateral. First and Second years change practice groups all the time, they just have to wait for an opening.

This is exactly what 3L OCI is for - people with offers looking to make a move to another firm or market. This is a good and legitimate reason to change firms. If you don't yet have an offer, I would mass mail and reach out to firms outside of the OCI process once you do.

Martin Brody wrote:This is exactly what 3L OCI is for - people with offers looking to make a move to another firm or market. This is a good and legitimate reason to change firms. If you don't yet have an offer, I would mass mail and reach out to firms outside of the OCI process once you do.

But what if you are still working during 3L oci and you won't know if you get your offer/what practice group until October..

Martin Brody wrote:This is exactly what 3L OCI is for - people with offers looking to make a move to another firm or market. This is a good and legitimate reason to change firms. If you don't yet have an offer, I would mass mail and reach out to firms outside of the OCI process once you do.

But what if you are still working during 3L oci and you won't know if you get your offer/what practice group until October..

Martin Brody wrote:This is exactly what 3L OCI is for - people with offers looking to make a move to another firm or market. This is a good and legitimate reason to change firms. If you don't yet have an offer, I would mass mail and reach out to firms outside of the OCI process once you do.

But what if you are still working during 3L oci and you won't know if you get your offer/what practice group until October..

Then reach out to firms at that point..

That was the plan, but I feel like that is really late in the process.

Martin Brody wrote:This is exactly what 3L OCI is for - people with offers looking to make a move to another firm or market. This is a good and legitimate reason to change firms. If you don't yet have an offer, I would mass mail and reach out to firms outside of the OCI process once you do.

But what if you are still working during 3L oci and you won't know if you get your offer/what practice group until October..

Then reach out to firms at that point..

That was the plan, but I feel like that is really late in the process.

What are your other options? You can always do OCI and then note to firms that you expect to receive an offer and will follow up once you do.

Martin Brody wrote:This is exactly what 3L OCI is for - people with offers looking to make a move to another firm or market. This is a good and legitimate reason to change firms. If you don't yet have an offer, I would mass mail and reach out to firms outside of the OCI process once you do.

But what if you are still working during 3L oci and you won't know if you get your offer/what practice group until October..

Then reach out to firms at that point..

That was the plan, but I feel like that is really late in the process.

What are your other options? You can always do OCI and then note to firms that you expect to receive an offer and will follow up once you do.

I can't do OCI. My summer program will still be going on, so I cannot attend 3L OCI. I would have to skip a week and certainly not get an offer. So hence the dilemma- I can't do 3l oci and I can't mass mail until I get an offer in October (at the earliest we have been told). It has been advised not to mass mail before you get an offer so I have this sort of limbo where I likely need to try another firm, but October/November sounds pretty late. So I feel pretty F*&%ed at the moment.

Martin Brody wrote:You should calm down. If you have an offer in hand October is not too late to change firms. And there's still a chance you get your desired practice area at your original firm.

Sorry, just trying to be prepared. Came to this firm over others with the promise of a certain practice group, now they are telling us that aint happening and they don't have enough offers to go around (even though the class is smaller than it has been and they previously 100% offered). So yeah, trying to get things straightened out now so I can be prepared for the worst.

Anonymous User wrote:I can't do OCI. My summer program will still be going on, so I cannot attend 3L OCI. I would have to skip a week and certainly not get an offer. So hence the dilemma- I can't do 3l oci and I can't mass mail until I get an offer in October (at the earliest we have been told). It has been advised not to mass mail before you get an offer so I have this sort of limbo where I likely need to try another firm, but October/November sounds pretty late. So I feel pretty F*&%ed at the moment.

3L OCI was tiny at my T13 (like one screener). It never counted for much to begin with. MM is your best bet.

I would just MM firms. Lots of firms pick up 3Ls in this situation. You could just tell them that the firm can't guarantee you corporate work and you are sure you'd like to do corporate work so you want to see what your options are. I knew several people who switched firms during August - October of 3L. At least a couple were getting interviews prior to receiving an offer from their summer firms.

I personally think it's risky shopping around with other firms before you have an offer. If word gets back to your firm (recruiters do talk, especially if you are in a non-NYC market), and there aren't enough offers to go around, that might be a reason to not give you one if they think you're looking elsewhere anyway.

Anonymous User wrote:I personally think it's risky shopping around with other firms before you have an offer. If word gets back to your firm (recruiters do talk, especially if you are in a non-NYC market), and there aren't enough offers to go around, that might be a reason to not give you one if they think you're looking elsewhere anyway.

That's what I thought. Good to know. In non nyc major market: Chicago/DC/La. So I guess I just wait it out until October. Sucks what's happening but can't do anything about it now. Just wish they were straight with me during recruiting and not pull shenanigans. Oh well

Did you have any other 2L offers? Follow up with them and see if they are open to 3L hiring. I know many people who had a high rate of return contacting firms who had previously offered them. When you follow up with them, email it directly to the partner who gave you your offer, if you had one partner who was the point person in contacting you, etc., or a partner you clicked with during lunch and/or second looks.